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I am the owner of a Carriage Carri-lite and I agree. Nothing lite about it. i am currently in the valley of decision. My Carri-lite is a 2005 Extreme5. I have loved this fiver like none other i have owned. Question for you fine gentlemen. Am I messing up by selling it and moving to a Redwood? Seems most on the forum love theirs. Another question. what are the negatives to going to a unit that is 42 Ft long? Of course the room inside is welcomed. but i do not want to make a mistake here. Thanks for any of your help or thoughts.

A Redwood is not your Carriage. Doesn't have near the frame you have. Now Lifestyle is got the same chassis you do. Redwood has a lippert chassis.

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2003 Teton Grand Freedom. 2006 Freightliner Century 120 with Detroit 14L and Ultrashift.. Full time going from job to job. Building and maintaining plants across the USA. Sold 2006 Mobile Suites 32TK3

Truthfully I am divided in my thought process. I do not trust the RV industry after seeing Carriage go out of biz. These new one have many new features and really do a number on the wife who like pretty. And I might add so do I. Mine is 10 years old and I bought it new. So maintenance items are becoming more common. Still a very good coach. And sadly can't sell it for what I feel it is really worth. Thanks

I am the owner of a Carriage Carri-lite and I agree. Nothing lite about it. i am currently in the valley of decision. My Carri-lite is a 2005 Extreme5. I have loved this fiver like none other i have owned. Question for you fine gentlemen. Am I messing up by selling it and moving to a Redwood? Seems most on the forum love theirs. Another question. what are the negatives to going to a unit that is 42 Ft long? Of course the room inside is welcomed. but i do not want to make a mistake here. Thanks for any of your help or thoughts.

Mstan you are in a 2005 Carriage these were manufactured with high quality and materials...Don't expect near the quality of that degree from a Redwood its not there...

Ours is almost 39' long. The last 5ver I pulled was 32' long and was 10 years ago. The negatives are:
1. You need to pay more attention to parking.
2. You could be restricted in some RV parks
3. You need to pay more attention when making turns. The 5ver will cut cornors more.
4. You need to really understand how long you are when changing lanes.
5. The rear end will swing around more when turning.

Now, with the above said, I don't seem to have a problem with the above. I do have an elevated sense of awareness and really pay attention. DW was the driving factor with our choice. I loved my slide-in truck camper!

Mstan- Consider finding a shop that will remodel your 2005. New flooring and carpet, change the counters, do a full body paint job, change the window valances, have a roof sprayed on if necessary, but don't sell it. There are very few companies left that can match the fit and finish of your Carriage. DRV, LifeStyle, are the 2 that come to mind. Unless something catastrophic happens to our Carrilite, we're not moving out of it.

Yessir I considered the full body paint. That is at a cost from 12-20K depending on the shop which does it. The interior is not bad as it is. Just dated. if the Carriage is so valuable then why isn't the resale values holding up better? Today I drove over to Houston to a major consignment sales for RV's They had 2014 DRV Mobile Suites that lured me over. I must agree. They have a awesome undercarriage. Frame, tires, wheels, brakes. etc. I have looked at them at the RV Shows and been very impressed. But the cost has always be the roadblock. However today, my wife and I were both disappointed in a huge way at he DRV interior. 1 year old and outside looked extremely well cared for. But the wood work in side was a huge disappointment. The Front closet for a full time unit was a joke. not near enough hanging space for us. The sofa had some signs of premature wear. Our 10 year old Carriage has held up extremely well. So now we are really confused.

We also were disapointed with the DRV interior. As far as closet space, our Lifestyle has a Full Wall slide out (LS36FW - Lifestyle Luxury Recreational Vehicles, LLC.) with space for a side by side washer dryer. My Wife decided to get a Combo washer/dryer to use the extra space for a closet. BTW, my understanding is that the Lifestyle uses and is managed by old Carriage staff. You might see some familiar construction there.

As far as I know there is not Lifestyle dealer anywhere close to my location. That means to purchase one I would basically have to purchase one sight unseen. That is not happening. I have learned by experience that those brochures are not accurate when it comes to giving you a true picture.

Never considered distance a problem. We buy a camper to travel, right.

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2003 Teton Grand Freedom. 2006 Freightliner Century 120 with Detroit 14L and Ultrashift.. Full time going from job to job. Building and maintaining plants across the USA. Sold 2006 Mobile Suites 32TK3

As far as I know there is not Lifestyle dealer anywhere close to my location. That means to purchase one I would basically have to purchase one sight unseen. That is not happening. I have learned by experience that those brochures are not accurate when it comes to giving you a true picture.